Sweetwater 420 Festival begins as heat, security take center stage

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The Sweetwater 420 Festival started Friday afternoon, bringing music, drinks and food to Atlanta for its 21st year.

Now legally old enough to drink, the festival moved to a new location for 2026 at Shirley Clarke-Franklin Park on Atlanta’s west side.

“When we think about the festival feel, we wanted to bring it back to the great outdoors,” said Evan Woolard, senior brand manager for Sweetwater 420.

The location is certainly more open than the festival’s previous location at Pullman Yards in Kirkwood. For two years, the festival struggled with traffic in and out of the neighborhood, with some residents saying they were unable to leave their homes due to severe congestion.

There are likely to be fewer problems this year, because the festival has done away with attendee parking altogether.

“There are ample options for folks to get here,” Woolard said. “We have a great rideshare program set up. There are scooter organizations tied to Bird Scooters that offer discounts for people who want to come to the party. We are right off the Beltline, not far from Bankhead Station.”

With open spaces come more security for both attendees and others just perusing through the park.

“In today’s day and age, obviously, it requires extra measures to really be sure you’re really creating a safe environment,” said Josh Antenucci, festival producer with Rival Entertainment. “We’re proud to say that we’ve put a lot of attention on that, and we’re doing that.”

The weather will cooperate to an extent. Temperatures are expected in the upper 80s on Friday and Saturday. The festival has numerous large coolers with free water at various parts of the park, where people can fill cups and bottles.For a list of music acts, click here.